Let's crack on with the first issue of WI since Salute 2016.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: A very dramatic Victorian colonial scene with red-coated and pith helmeted Highlanders fending off an attack by Egyptian troops. This month's theme is "Soldiers of the Queen" but not everything is as it seems…
EDITORIAL: Editor Dan goes on to explain that this month's theme isn't exclusively soldiers of Queen Victoria but soldiers of 3 different queens (Victoria being one of them). So a varied mix within the theme itself.
WARGAMING NEWS: More a preview of new releases at Salute: Perry colonials, Project Z and Blood Eagle.
SOLDIERS OF THE EMPRESS: An interesting article about the first English civil war between Empress Maud (or Matilda) vs King Stephen. There's plenty of history for the uninitiated and then a big section on where to source suitable figures and descriptions of what armour and livery they would have worn. Some ideas for games are provided, but no scenarios.
UP THE BEACHES: A painting guide for U.S. LVT amphibious tanks covering the various campaigns from Saipan through Tinian, Peleliu and Iwo Jima. Useful, but it does use the new Flames of War colour names so you'll need your Vallejo colour chart for translation.
THE LAST CRUSADE: The life and times of Queen Jadwiga of Poland and how to wargame the Teutonic Knights crusade against the Poles and their king. This one has the requisite history (needed for a period of history off the beaten path for most Anglo-Saxon gamers) and some scenario ideas, but not so much on unit organisation or in-depth scenarios. Useful as a launch pad for ideas, but you're going to have to do more research to turn it into a game or two.
THE MEN WHO WOULD BE KINGS: Dan Mersey, currently riding the crest of a wave following his Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant rules, explains his new game set in 19th Century colonial times. The system and scale reminds me a bit of GDW's old Soldiers Companion (minus the Victorian sci-fi elements) and the author gives a lot of detail about what's in the rules themselves. It could be a very good entry into the market.
CHASING THE DRAGON: The Second Opium War (which dovetailed into the Taiping Rebellion) with a focus on official British involvement. Lots of history, gaming ideas but this time there is a scenario (for Black Powder) included which features some special rules to "spice" things up…pardon the pun.
RULES SHOWCASE, SHARP PRACTICE 2: So the new version of the Too Fat Lardies black powder skirmish games is now with us, how does it play? This article is part battle report, part description of how the game's played. If you're familiar with the tropes of the Lardies game design, you'll spot them here. The game played was American War of Independence and if I have a criticism, it's that the rules showcase section often fails to list an author! Dan, if you're reading this, please give credit where credit is due.
CHASTISEMENT OF THE UTMAN KHELS: Here's a North-West frontier scenario, set in 1852 so we're talking earlier on in the Victorian colonial era, and it's not one I'm familiar with. This one has all the bits you need for running the game with OOBs and maps and it's not for any particular set of rules.
BUILDING OLD WORLDS: This is how the Victorian sci-fi game dockyard was built for Salute 2016. Very intricate and much too tricky for me to replicate at home but there are a couple of useful tips that might be of use for scratch builders out there.
VICTORIA'S SOLDIERS: A good painting guide to Victorian British soldiers from about 1850-1900 with text descriptions of how the uniforms evolved over that time. Definitely one to cut out and keep if you game this era.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CRUSADER: Well, no, actually but if that sounds like you then this article is for you. Warwick Kinrade talks strategy, tactics and Soldiers of God. If you're into the game, this will be handy as a set of designer's notes.
TACTICA 2016: It's nice to see a show report from one of the lesser known (certainly in the UK and USA) shows; this one in Hamburg, Germany. Some great photos of some interesting games.
RULES SHOWCASE: LIVING ON THE FRONT LINE: In the wargaming world, the United Kingdom gets not one but two fictional civil wars…lucky old UK. So this is the one set in 1979 where various regional and political factions can't abide Margaret Thatcher even before she's had the chance to do very much in office and so you get splinter states which bear more than a passing resemblance to the factions of A Very British Civil War: The geographical divides are similar and there's broadly hard Left and hard Right factions with the Centre moderates nowhere to be seen. Most of the article concerns the mechanics of the game with sidebars on the background. I'll reserve judgement on how the game plays but I must confess to not being a fan of these 20th century British civil war games as I don't buy into a lot of the back story. Still, it is a chance to use 1970s British Army kit and equipment in action.
A TOUR OF DUTY: A pictorial of Essex Gamesters/Ron Ringrose's massive Vietnam War table. I missed this one at Salute 2016 so I'm not sure if it was an actual game or a diorama. The vehicles are nice and a lot are sourced from die cast toy companies. I'm not sure about the U.S. Army uniforms; they look a little too bilious green in shade, the real uniform was a lot more drab and subdued (I know, I own a set).
THE NEW BATTLEFRONT FACTORY: Pictures and testimony from the managers at the Battlefront plant in Kula Lumpur. I think it's interesting to take a look at the manufacturing process used in the hobby; something we don't often get an insight into. A bit off the beaten track in wargame magazine terms but a nice diversion nonetheless.
CLUB FOCUS: Neil Smith, a frequent contributor to W.I., gives us a look and insight into his club WB3D Gamers (Whitley Bay 3 Dimensional) which is relatively new on the scene but is clearly thriving. What's really interesting is following how the club went from an idea of his to a large, established club in about a year so it provides good ideas on how to start your own club. However, I take issue with his comments about rebranding wargaming as either 3D gaming or adventure gaming or something else in order to satisfy those who find the word "war" distasteful or else to describe games that aren't about war but share many features with wargames. I dislike PC re-branding exercises anyway and those who bristle at the word wargaming will probably find the subject matter objectionable rather than just the word.
DESIGNERS NOTES: BATTLEGROUP WACHT AM RHEIN: Battlegroup's author, Warwick Kinrade, talks about the upcoming Battle of the Bulge sourcebook for the game and what to expect in it. He also talks about the move to smaller sourcebooks with limited print runs rather than the hefty tomes of Kursk and Normandy.
OVERALL: So that brings us to the end of this issue and it's keeping up the recent trend of improving issues. There's plenty here that will be of practical use, not just slabs o' history and pretty pictures. It's been a while since I've read an issue of W.I. and been disappointed at missed opportunities so onwards and upwards.
